Power 105 NY Withdraws Carifest Sponsorship

Hip-hop radio station Power 105 withdrew its sponsorship of Saturday's Reggae Carifest because two artists on the bill have used anti-gay language in their songs.

The two dancehall reggae artists, Buju Banton and Bounty Killer, have both drawn fire for their lyrics over the years. Banton's song "Boom Bye Bye" advocates burning and shooting gay men; Bounty Killer's song "Another Level" refers to drowning them.

Clear Channel, which owns Power 105 (WWPR/105.1 FM), quietly withdrew its support from the festival on Wednesday after receiving a call from The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (Glaad). Clear Channel did not issue a statement, but on Thursday a spokeswoman noted that Power 105 does not play Bounty Killer or Buju Banton. She declined to say, however, whether that's because of their lyrics or because reggae artists are not regularly featured on the hip-hop station. 

Gay-rights activists are still planning to protest at the festival, which is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday at Randalls Island.

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Althea Cummings
NYC Correspondent